Direction finder for vehicle

• US 4,852,012 A
• Filed: 10/08/1987
• Issued: 07/25/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Suyama, Mitiyo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US07/105,788
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 364/449, 364/457, 364/571.02, 33/361, 33/355 R, 33/356, 33/357, 324/244
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/38 Testing, calibrating, or compensating of compasses

Abstract

A direction finder is disclosed, which comprises a locus amending means which operates such that, when corrected detection signal pairs obtained by correcting detection signal pairs after an initial correction on the basis of coordinates value of a center of an ellipsoidal locus and radii thereof in x and y directions are not on a circle in a perpendicular coordinates system corresponding to the ellipsoidal locus, distances from the circle to the coordinates of the corrected detection signal pairs are divided into perpendicular coordinates components as vector component pair and the center coordinates of the ellipsoidal locus and radii thereof are amended and updated on the basis of the vector component pairs and radii, the magnetism detection signal being amended with using these amending values.

Claims

1. A direction finder for a movable body comprising:

terrestrial magnetism detection means being magnetizable and mountable on a movable body, said terrestrial magnetism detection means for detecting terrestrial surface magnetism as a pair of components being parallel to a terrestrial surface and orthogonal to each other and providing a pair of detection signals corresponding thereto, respectively;

initial correction means for obtaining, through use of detection signals obtained from said terrestrial magnetism detection means as said movable body is moved along a circular route, a center coordinate of an ellipsoidal locus and radii in respective orthogonal directions in a perpendicular coordinate system, an ellipsoid associated with said ellipsoidal locus and radii including coordinate points corresponding to respective maximum values and minimum values of said detection signals;

magnetization correction means for correcting each further detected pair of detection signals from said terrestrial magnesism detection means on a basis of said center coordinates and radii of said ellipsoidal locus for removing detection signal components which are due to a magnetization field of said movable body to provide a pair of corrected detection signals; and

locus amending means for obtaining, every time one of;

(a.) said movable body moves to exceed a predetermined distance, and (b.) every occurrence of a predetermined time, a pair of components of a vector having said pair of corrected detection signals as a coordinate point thereon, said vector being obtained and extending from one of cross points between a straight line connecting said coordinate point corresponding to said pair of corrected detection signals and a center coordinate corresponding to said ellipsoidal locus and performing a predetermined operation on a basis of said pair of corrected detection signals and amending and updating the value of the center coordinate of the ellipsoidal locus and the values of the radii thereof on the basis of the pair of said vector components and radii of the ellipsoidal locus obtained by said initial correction means.

2. The direction finder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said locus amending means utilizes a weighing coefficient to be multiplied with the pair of the vector components in amending said center coordinate value and radii of said ellipsoidal locus.